diff --git a/libraries/AP_HAL_PX4/HAL_PX4_Class.cpp b/libraries/AP_HAL_PX4/HAL_PX4_Class.cpp
index 77d13b6c05..752d7ac75c 100644
--- a/libraries/AP_HAL_PX4/HAL_PX4_Class.cpp
+++ b/libraries/AP_HAL_PX4/HAL_PX4_Class.cpp
@@ -90,6 +90,12 @@ static int main_loop(int argc, char **argv)
     thread_running = true;
     while (!_px4_thread_should_exit) {
 		loop();
+        if (hal.scheduler->in_timerprocess()) {
+            // we are running when a timer process is running! This is
+            // a scheduling error, and breaks the assumptions made in
+            // our locking system
+            ::printf("ERROR: timer processing running in loop()\n");
+        }
         // yield the CPU between loops to let other apps 
         // get some CPU time
 		pthread_yield();
diff --git a/libraries/AP_HAL_PX4/Scheduler.cpp b/libraries/AP_HAL_PX4/Scheduler.cpp
index 4354bf8c6a..a918fd9497 100644
--- a/libraries/AP_HAL_PX4/Scheduler.cpp
+++ b/libraries/AP_HAL_PX4/Scheduler.cpp
@@ -41,6 +41,10 @@ void PX4Scheduler::init(void *unused)
 	param.sched_priority = SCHED_PRIORITY_DEFAULT + 1;
 	(void)pthread_attr_setschedparam(&thread_attr, &param);
 
+    // we run as a FIFO task as we don't want the main task to preempt
+    // us. This keeps the locking much simpler between the two threads
+    pthread_attr_setschedpolicy(&thread_attr, SCHED_FIFO);
+
 	pthread_create(&_thread, &thread_attr, (pthread_startroutine_t)&PX4::PX4Scheduler::_timer_thread, this);
 }
 
@@ -56,6 +60,10 @@ uint32_t PX4Scheduler::millis()
 
 void PX4Scheduler::delay_microseconds(uint16_t usec) 
 {
+    if (_in_timer_proc) {
+        ::printf("ERROR: delay_microseconds() from timer process\n");
+        return;
+    }
 	uint32_t start = micros();
 	while (micros() - start < usec) {
 		up_udelay(usec - (micros() - start));
@@ -64,6 +72,10 @@ void PX4Scheduler::delay_microseconds(uint16_t usec)
 
 void PX4Scheduler::delay(uint16_t ms)
 {
+    if (_in_timer_proc) {
+        ::printf("ERROR: delay() from timer process\n");
+        return;
+    }
 	uint64_t start = hrt_absolute_time();
     
     while ((hrt_absolute_time() - start)/1000 < ms &&